A Race to the Finish
by nin-chanNINJI
Summary: Little rookie and rebellious Purachina loves to race. When the All-Cup comes up, however, she becomes excited and eager to be a part of the team. However, as things go on, she starts to have her doubts. Can she do it? Or will she chicken out? Take part with Purachina in this story ab out her journey to the checkered flag.
1. Chapter 1

Second fanfic…and it's OC-based again. Sorry, lovelies! (^ - ^)U I don't own characters mentioned except for our little Purachina. ;3 And…I guess the teachers too lolololol. Also, I mention the All-Cup Tour—from Mario Kart: Double Dash!—but this story will only contain tracks and settings from Mario Kart Wii. Please keep this is mind~! As stated above, I own nothing except plot and Purachina, so stay off my back, Nintendo. I still love you though. (m)(^ ω ^)(m) Fist bump! Ding…Dong…Ding…Dong…The Big Ben-esque bells sounded throughout the academy…it was the last school day until spring break arrived…all was peaceful…

"Go! Go on, get to class!"

Not _all_, to be more precise…

"Alright! Alright! I'm going!" _Oh, just two more classes left…then the month will be mine!_

Attending school was always the same for Shiawase Purachina. She always stalled at her locker, talking to her two closest friends—Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom and Princess Daisy of Sarasaland—rather than getting her books and everything ready for class. The trio would stay and continue talking even after the warning bell rang, then a teacher would come down the hallway, see the three, and bark at them to get to class. Peach, being quiet and timid and oh, so proper, would always leave without being told twice. She was the good-mannered, fragile girl of the group. Daisy would have just a _smidge_ of attitude, but obeyed nonetheless. Purachina, on the other hand, is the fiery rebel of the group. She would always snap back at the teacher-toad, and take her own sweet time getting her things, almost always wounding up with a conduct notice or detention slip. In her words, she was "not afraid of some stupid, old teachers".

Purachina also never paid attention in class. Her grades were terrible, and Mario and Luigi—who were technically her guardians—would scold her nonstop. The reason for horrid performance in school was because she was always daydreaming or smart-mouthing or being too busy doodling pictures of her beloved green motorbike or the like.

Oh. Did I ever mention?

Purachina was a bike racer.

Yes, she's just a rookie, but a very rough-and-tough rookie at that. On her _first_ grand prix, she never got behind seventh place. Seventh! Out of twelve! And on her second, she got first place on one of the tracks! She practices almost every hour of her life, and she never stops talking about how "next race, she's going to win the shit out of it".

"Ms. 'Shiawasay', would you like _another _detention after school tomorrow?" The toad scolded. She was a small, female toad—around the age of forty—with pink spots. She always held a clipboard in her arms, and _loved_ to punish students—at least that's what Purachina thought.

She sighed. Peach already left her. "No,_ Sensei._ And it's Shiawas-_eh _not Shiawas-_ay_!"

"Well then get to class before you do! Quit soliciting!" The teacher shouted. "And use English!"

Purachina started to follow Daisy to class, who was silently waiting from a distance, before the teacher stopped her again.

"What?" she asked, a little irritated.

"Take off your hoodie! Wearing those disgraces the academy uniform!"

"Yeah, Purachina!" Daisy giggled. "Take off the hoodie!"

Purachina sighed, before opening her locker again.

"You're late, you two," the algebra teacher—an elderly, green-shelled koopa—pointed out as Purachina and Daisy sauntered in the class. Purachina hung her head low to avoid the stares of her classmates. Honestly, she wasn't up to terms to a lot of people at her school. In fact, she despised almost every one of them.

"Yes sir, I know," she replied, finding her desk and taking a seat.

"Do any of you have a note?"

"No sir."

"…No."

"Conduct notice."

Daisy smirked. "Yes sir." One simple conduct notice didn't really affect her record or anything—she hardly got in trouble at school (not as often as Purachina, at least), and wouldn't get in trouble back at her home.

Purachina flinched at his harsh and demanding voice, but sucked her teeth in annoyance. "Big deal," she whispered to herself. She crossed her arms on her desk and rested her head on them, staring at the board.

Solve the following: x=43-98(24)/3

_Tch. How easy, even I know that._

Purachina pulled out a calculator from her small tote bag and typed the numbers. She hid it from the teacher, not wanting to get caught. Her green-polished fingers flew across the buttons, making the _slightest_ clicking sound.

Sixteen…I knew it…

"Why do you have a calculator, Pura-'China'?"

The girl winced at the voice behind her. It was a naïve toad, about a few months younger than her. She shushed her, not wanting to get caught.

"Hush, and _please_ say my name right. It's Purachina. With an '_ee_'."

"Sorry, but…why do you have one? They're not allowed."

"_Hush!" _Purachina hissed. She was getting pissed off. "Do you want to use it?"

"Just for this one problem—"

"Too bad, the answer's sixteen."

"…"

"Excuse me, but is there some reason why you two are talking?" The teacher said. The toad behind Purachina winced, and continued (pretending to) working. Purachina stayed silent, doing the same thing. She held the calculator under her desk; the last thing she wants to do is get caught with a _calculator_. That would, of course, lead to her having to go up to the board—in front of everyone—and solve the problem, showing _all_ work. Just the thought of doing so gave Purachina the shivers!

"Purachina?"

"Hm?" She rasped, a tad embarrassed.

"Do you want to share something?" Giggles and whispers echoed through the small classroom. They made the girl's blood boil.

"N-No," She stuttered, trying her best to control her poor temper.

"Then _be quiet, _Ms. Purachina."

Another suck of the teeth. _You're not even going to scold the bitch behind me? Stupid _baka_!_

As the class period neared its last five minutes, Purachina found herself to be very drowsy. She gave up on doing her work, unlike everyone else, and decided to daydream about something that she claimed to have been waiting for since she first met the Mario gang.

To race in the All-Cup Tour.

Just the thought of racing all sixteen majour tracks… it made Purachina want to go _"FFFFFFFFFFFF—"_ She just couldn't contain her enthusiasm! _And it was in only two days!_ Getting on her precious Standard Bike M, reaching break-neck speeds, taking down all of her opponents ahead of her, and _damn, _she absolutely loved doing tricks—Her favourite being a simple knack knack. And she preformed wheelies almost every second, which is one of the reasons why she almost always wins in the top five. It was no lie that Purachina Shiawase was one of the best rookies out there.

Of course, she was still _incredibly _nervous at the thought of competing in the All-Cup, and she had a good reason to. Although she has been racing for a little over a year, due to her constant groundings and restrictions, there are a few cups that she hadn't taken part in yet. The Leaf Cup, the Lightning Cup, the Star Cup, and the most treacherous, the most perilous, the most menacing and unapproachable prix of all (at least in Purachina's eyes—she couldn't even hear the description of it without trembling), the Special Cup.

Purachina has raced a few of the easier tracks in the said cups—she raced Koopa Cape of the Star Cup a good number of times; it was one of her favourites—but she would to stray away from the more intimidating tracks such as Dry Dry Ruins or Bowser's Castle. (Meaning: even if she weren't grounded, she'd rather step in a goomba turd than race them…Well, no, not literally.)

Oh, never, _ever_ mention Rainbow Road around Purachina.

_Ever._

With its winding, knotting tracks and scarce existence of guardrails, that track was _no_ Moo Moo Meadows. Near the start of the track, there was an eighty to ninety degree decent with three dash pads—the first stretching out the entire width of the road, and the other two being on the right and left side, respectively. The colossal, multi-coloured bunch of a track took place in the middle of _fucking space,_ for another thing. That thought alone was enough for Purachina to simply go 'lol no' and walk out casually of whatever room she was in and never return. Also, there was a large wind tunnel of a passageway in the middle of the course. Rumour has it that driving through it feels like an acid trip gone terribly, _terribly_ wrong.

So, do the math. Space, plus no guardrails, plus steep drop, plus deadly wind tunnel, plus whatever the _hell_ is also on Rainbow Road, equals nauseous Purachina.

Daisy, spying a seemingly-asleep Purachina next to her, poked her skull.

Purachina, who hadn't even noticed that she laid her head down on her desk, sat up and looked at the Sarasian Princess with an inquiring look. She spotted a note in her hands.

Turning her head to see if the teacher was looking, she grabbed the orange notebook paper swiftly.

Daisy used her precious journal paper for a note for me? How sweet!

She unfolded the paper quietly, still glancing now and then at the teacher, who was going on about slopes and y-intercepts and all that shit. In black ink pen, it neatly read: _"Stop falling asleep, Pura! You remember what Mario told you? If you get into any more trouble you won't be able to race. You already got a conduct notice. (: xx_

A giggle slipped out of Purachina's pink lips. Taking her silver mechanical pencil in her hands, she swiftly wrote a response on the same paper in orderly and mature penmanship. (Ironic—Purachina and maturity. Pffch.)

_Yeah, I know. BUT I wasn't falling asleep. I was daydreaming about the lovely day of the All-Cup race! _ (° ▽°) _It's gonna be awesomesauce! And besides, I'll be able to weasel my way out of punishment, like I always do. We start Sunday too, sooooo~ I'll be fine. _

She tossed the note to Daisy. She scribbled for a few seconds, and then tossed it back.

_Yeah, "like you always do"? Remember the time when you were playing around in Mr. L's tools that one time he visited? He caught you and you said that you were planning on making a robot. And you know _nothing _about robotics, let alone what a Phillip's screwdriver is, love. _

Well, that pissed Purachina off a bit. But Daisy was like her sister, so she couldn't say that directly.

_Heeeyyyy, no fair! I DO know what a Philips's is! It's the kind of screwdriver that four little nibs on it instead of one flat one! But that's not the point! I just can't stop thinking about it! D: Weren't you ever excided about racing in something that—_

_Fwip_. The note flew out of her hands, making her mouth and eyes widen.

"No notes in class, girls." The koopa scolded, looking at them both. The class chuckled and whispered. "See me after class, you two."

"Yes sir."

"Mhm…"

_-Sensei (Sen-Say)_: Honorific used for teachers, doctors, ect…

_Baka! (Bah-kah)_: Idiot!


	2. Chapter 2

Ding…Dong…Ding…

_Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go—_

"Ah! Purachina, come here!"

_Dammit!_

Purachina, head dangling in shame, sauntered over to the koopa's desk, motioning for Daisy to follow her. She rested her hands on the mahogany desk, head still hanging low—her glossy, black her was covering half of her face. Daisy, however, walked over as if nothing was wrong, which was very unusual.

Before today, if the two got into any trouble, Daisy would be embarrassed, even though she rarely got any bad marks. Purachina, on the other hand, would be completely indifferent towards the matter. Perhaps it was because it was jeopardizing the oncoming event for her?

"Now, girls, you're not in trouble, but…" the Koopa paused, adjusting his glasses. "although it is against my moral beliefs to look at another student's notes, I couldn't help but glance at the writings on the letter…Are…you a Mario Kart Racer, Purachina?"

A small spark of confidence lit inside Purachina's gut. She half-smiled, becoming a just a _teensy_ cocky. "Yeah. We both are."

A warm smile. "Oh! That's wonderful! I am a big fan of the races; I watch them on television all the time! Of course, I've seen Daisy now and then-great job, by the way."

"Thank you," Daisy replied softly, glaring away and clutching her opposite arm. She, on the other hand, didn't like here this convo was going…whenever people found out that she raced or saw her on television, the annoyances just _wouldn't stop!_

"You're very welcome. But I noticed that there's a possibility that you wont be able to race, Purachina? Is that true?"

The girl's face turned at least twelve shades of red, from her cheeks all the way to her ears. "I...I u-uh…I mean…"

"No, no! I never share personal information with others, don't worry."

Purachina's face was still scarlet and Daisy had to pretend to cough to keep herself from giggling.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is…as a die-hard Mario Kart fan—I've loved it since it first started in '92—I would _hate_ to see you two suspended from the race. Whether by…family issues, or some other reason. So, I'm going to give you some advice. This goes mainly to you, Miss Shiawase…"

_I am _so _going to be late for my next class…_ Purachina thought bitterly. She fondled one of her earrings.

"I know school is tough. I went through it too when I was a child. I absolutely hated it. But, I still behaved like I was supposed to, and my behaviour alone got me many, _many _places in life.

"What I'm trying to say is, you want to race in the All-Cup in the next two days, right?"

"More than anything." Purachina replied.

Daisy nodded. "It's like our lives depend on it."

Another smile found its way onto the teacher's face. "Then, please, girls, behave in class. I don't to have to get you grounded at home."

"Bu-But…S-Stop saying that!" Purachina whined, blood returning to colour her face.

Daisy giggled at her friend, then asked: "Does this mean we don't get conduct notices?"

"No. You still get them."

If there was any word in the English language that was worthy enough to describe the girls' faces right now…

_Ding…Dong…_

"You're late you two," stated the literary teacher—a male, red-shelled paratroopa around the age of twenty years.

"No, no!" Daisy protested, waving a piece of yellow paper in the air. "We have notes."

The girls handed them to the paratroopa, deemed "Mr. Bit" by the students (he received the nickname for his love of retro 8-bit and 16-bit games), seized and read both of the notes. He smiled and set them on the desk when he was finished. "Okay, girls. Go have a seat."

Smiling back and nodding, both of the girls sat next to Peach, who was shaking her head slightly at her friends' behaviour. _So typical of them…_

Mr. Bit stood in front of the class to explain the curriculum of the period, which—believe it or not—didn't bore Purachina half do death. Mr. Bit was the girl's favourite teacher; they both had love for video games, chiptune, otaku culture, and Internet memes. They both had a sense of humour in their adventurous personalities, and sometimes, Purachina would be allowed to visit him during lunch period and surf the web on his laptop. She loved him to freakin' _pieces._

She took out her pack of Black Black Hard gum (she needed all the caffeine she could get right now), pushed the button to make a piece come out, and paid half-attention to the lesson. She didn't _need_ to pay attention to the lecture (in her wondrous little mind) because she was already passing with a 'B+'. That is the highest grade she ever got once she started sixth grade. _And she's a junior now._

Popping the piece of gum in her mouth and smiling contently, she stared at Mr. Bit as he wrote on the Smart Board. The words he spoke entered Purachina's ears in a faint jumble; her mind was going other places again. At least she wasn't sleeping—gotta love caffeinated gum.

_I wonder what it will be like, going all over the Mushroom Planet for the first time,_ she thought to herself, humming in a barely audible volume. _God, it'll be the first time I'll be away from home for that long. I've never been that far either…_ Thoughts of traveling in Peach's pink private jet swam though her brain. She's only been inside of it once…And she was too nervous the entire time because she thought it was going to crash. But that was when she had a phobia of heights. She (barely) matured overtime, so that scenario didn't bother her the slightest.

Well…a little bit, maybe.

Purachina's body quivered as she silently chuckled. Her thoughts went back to the day she first got her license. The cold, hard, and shimmery blue plastic card that she held in her hands showed up in such a clear memory. Her heart skipped a beat as she recalled the card being completely blank, save for one silver (and heavy-duty adhesive) sticker under the 50cc Mushroom Cup. She loved it so much, that she would carry it in her pocket and take it out several times a day, just gazing at the no-longer-bare card.

Oh, and Purachina could never forget when she first got her bike. She was shown a list of twelve bikes and karts total that were recommended for her size and weight. She tried all six karts on a closed Mario Circuit 3, with both the bros watching over her. She remembered her slight pink colour dusting on her cheeks as she bashfully admitted that she found none of the karts to be satisfactory. Mario and Luigi waved it off, however, and walked her back to the garage, where she could try the bikes. There were six of those also, and Purachina's big, green eyes lit up at the sight of them. _Heh…_ she thought. _The dolphin one looked cool_. She tried the Dolphin Dasher first, hoping, _praying _that would drive as well as it looked.

Unfortunately, Purachina had a terrible time handling it. The speed and acceleration was perfect for her experience level, but accidentally drifted off-road or bumped into a wall a bit _too_ much for her patience.

Her next choice was Standard Bike M, recommended by Mario. She was a bit skeptical at first. It just looked so…_plain._ Nevertheless, she tried it anyway, and her mind was _blown_. The vehicle had perfect speed, acceleration, and handling—she only drifted off-road once, which was okay considering that she never really raced yet. And when she did happen to stray off-road, she was surprised at how fast it went! Even in dirt, she didn't feel like a snail trying to get across some train tracks! So, she just _had_ to have that bike, even if her life depended on—

"Purachina~ you alive, hun?" Mr. Bit lightly _thonked_ her on the head a few times with the Smart Board eraser.

"Yeah…" Purachina replied, blushing. She stared at her blank page of her notebook, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, can you prove you're not a zombie by correcting the sentence on the board?" Mr. Bit smiled at her. Purachina nodded as she stared at the projection. It read:

"_Frank would like a baloney sandwich instead of ham."_

"Heh heh, Frank," Purachina giggled. She snapped back to attention and answered. "Uh, the 'baloney'. The way you have it spelled is used when calling a statement false. It should be spelt…" _Think, Dammit!_ "B-O-L-O-G-N-E."

"Ahh, close," Mr. Bit hissed, still smiling. "But you're half-right. No one wants a fake sandwich." The class giggled for a few seconds, then the paratroopa continued. "Princess Peach, would you like to take a crack at it?"

"Yes sir." Peach stood up and proudly declared: "While Purachina was on the right track," her friend nudged her jokingly. "…it should be spelt B-O-L-O-G-N-A."

"Yes! You are correct! Here, free invisible lollipop."

The three smiled. They loved his joking demeanor so much. If only all teachers were like him.

The rest of the class went on normally: Daisy talking a bit too much, Peach being attentive and studious, Mr. Bit joking and teaching at the same time (miracles!), and Purachina just…being herself. No surprises there.

When the PA system chimed for the afternoon announcements, the entire class cheered.

"Yay!" some called. "Spring break is here!"

"No books! No lessons! We're free!" Yelled others.

"Two weeks to ourselves!"

"_No school for the win!"_

Purachina chuckled. _How cute, _she thought to herself, smirking proudly. _They're excided about their two weeks while the girls and I get a whole month…_

"Good Afternoon boys and girls, faculty and visitors, it is time for our afternoon announcements!" The principle spoke. The class was so loud that you could barely hear her.

As the announcements were spoken, Daisy poked Peach the shoulder, making her turn in her direction.

"So, you excided, cuz?" she asked, a smile stained on her face. Of course she knew the answer—the gang has been practicing and talking about it for at least three months.

"Of course I am, Daisy," the princess giggled. "The excitement of racing in the All-Cup Tour never fades away. I bet you're looking forward to it too, am I right?"

"Yup, heart's practically pounding at the thought of it. And I agree with you completely, Peachy. It never gets old… Oh, so I was thinking, what's the track you're looking forward to racing?"

"Peach Gardens, of course. It takes place right behind my home—I know that track like I know the back of my own hand." She waved a pale hand with pink, perfectly manicured fingernails for emphasis.

"Tch. I wish they would make a track in Sarasaland so I'd have that advantage." Daisy smiled and stretched. "But…the one I'm looking forward to racing might be Maple Treeway, I love, love, _love_ that place!"

"Oh, I know! It's so calm and peaceful…we should totally go for a picnic while we're there."

The orange princess sighed. "That would be lovely, and a great way to deal with the stress of going round Mushroom Planet…"

The two looked at Purachina, who was humming a Vocaloid song, oblivious to the world around her. The girl was all smiles. She waved her feet in rhythm to the song she was humming.

"Heh, you think Purachina's excided too?" Daisy whispered, giggling some more.

"What is up with you and obvious questions today dear? Of course she is! She wouldn't stop rambling about it last night." Peach gestured toward the rebel, who was still unaware of the conversation about her.

"Bless her heart, Peach, I feel sorry for her." Princess Daisy shook her head. "Underneath that happy-go-lucky mask of hers, she might be crumbling apart from the stress…" That was, of course, true.

"I understand—remember how she almost trembled when we described Rainbow Road to her? She must have been terrified."

"I'm right here, guys…"

The royal cousins whipped their heads to see a smiling Purachina, who was shaking her head. "I thought you two weren't the kind to gossip."

"We're not, Pura," Daisy protested. "Talking about you once doesn't make us gossipers." Peach nodded, laughing.

"Whatever. But you're right, I am scared of this whole thing, especially the 'Racetrack that shall not be named'." She folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes, sighing and blowing a bubble. "Sometimes I worry…what if I get last place?"

Daisy laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Well, with your talent, you won't lose. You've been amazing at racing ever since you first started. Hell, even if you _do_ lose, someone's gotta get last place. I mean, you know how precise they measure the times of each racer. No one's ever tied. Not since '92."

Just as Purachina opened her mouth, the principle on the PA proudly declared: "And that is all for our afternoon announcements. I want all of you to have a fun and _safe_—"

"She was paid to say that…" Pura mumbled.

"—spring break. And a great big 'good luck' to the three racers who are taking part in the All-Cup Tour. You know who you are! Race safely, and see you next month!"

"Whores!" Someone called from the class. Purachina wanted to punch him in the face.

"Teachers, please dismiss ninth and tenth graders. Ninth and tenth graders, please. Eleventh and twelfth will be dismissed momentarily."

_Click_

Purachina grabbed her books and shot out of her seat. She ran to Mr. Bit, giving him a big glomp. "God, I'm going to miss you bro!" she said, fake crying. Mr. Bit hugged her back.

"Me too, Purachina. But hey, the month will go faster than you think. Just be safe, and don't crash. Don't want to harm that bike of yours."

"Hey!"

"Jokes! But seriously, don't hurt yourself. I'll be watching on television. Have fun Purachina. You too, girls!"

Peach and Daisy waved as Purachina caught up with them. "We will!" they called in unison. And with that, all three went to their lockers for the last time, until the big event.

_Oh God…here we go…_


	3. Chapter 3

_Not too proud of this chapter…I guess it's a filler. Lololol. Oh, and Mario still has his Italian accent…but I'm not gonna type it. It's a little pet peeve of mine when I see "Hello! It's-a nice-a to see you-a!" or something. (No offence, I'll still read your story half of the time._ c: _It all depends on plot honeys. And I don't want to sound conceited or anything, I hate sounding like an arrogant bitch) _; ~ ;

"Goodness, it sure is warm out…" Peach declared, waving a graded paper in front of her face as a makeshift fan. The girls were walking to the Mario bros.' house; Daisy and Peach wanted to visit so they could talk to the brothers, as well as help Purachina pack. All three stood out with their Mushroom Academy uniforms, save for Purachina, who was covering her's with a black jacket and a hood over her head.

"I know, I'm starting to sweat." Daisy replied. She glared at Purachina, who had her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. "How can you wear that thing, Purachina?"

The green-eyed girl shrugged. "I dunno," she responded nonchalantly. "I guess I just can."

"But you'll die out here!" Peach over exaggerated.

"I never said I wasn't hot." Purachina giggled.

"Why are you wearing it anyway, dear?"

"Tch. What if I see some stupid jocks at school? They're gonna get me good if they spot me…"

Daisy stopped walking and looked fiercely in to her eyes. Despite that, she wasn't really surprised. Purachina, as stated before, was used to getting into trouble, especially with other students. "What'd you do now." That was not a question.

Purachina smiled nervously. "Eh heh…you see…these boys were talking trash about me…so I trash-talked back…and it didn't end out well. I had to haul ass away from them to avoid getting beat up." She scratched the back of her hood-covered head.

"Oh, my Grambi," Peach gasped, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "This is why I can't trust myself to leave you alone…"

"When did it happen?" Daisy asked, shaking her friend's shoulders as if to say 'dammit, why do you do this to us! We can't leave you be for two seconds!'

"Today during lunch, actually," the schoolgirl answered matter-of-factly. "Remember when I went to piss?"

"_Went to the bathroom, _Purachina," Princess Peach corrected. "And yes, we do."

"Well, in the hallway a bunch of Chargin' Chucks were laughing as I walked by. I wasn't even _doing_ anything to them when they started talking about how I'm an attention whore and stuff like that."

"Well…" Now it was Daisy's turn to smile uneasily. "You _are_ kinda loud, Pura…"

"That's not the point! The point is the Golden Rule—'Do unto others as they you do to you'. So I told the head goalie or whatever the hell they're called—" (Purachina wasn't into football) "—and told him how is chick is a total broad, and I saw her giving head to—"

"Don't finish that sentence, Purachina," Peach pleaded. "Please, for the love of Grambi, don't."

"Is that true, though?" Asked Daisy to Purachina.

"Pftch. Nope." Cue the happy, bright smile.

Daisy and Peach stayed silent. _No wonder they're after her…_

"Marmar! _Watashi wa ieda!"_ Purachina yelled after unlocking and opening the door. She took off her hood and ran to the kitchen, which was right near the front door. "You girls want somethin' to eat?" She asked, opening the fridge and pulling out a juice box.

Peach politely declined as Daisy declared: "Yeah, toss me a juice box."

Doing what she was told, Purachina called again. "Marmar?"

"Stop calling me that!" Came a reply from the living room. Slight rustling could be heard, like the sound of a bag being dropped, and _surprise!_ —enter Mario, who wasn't wearing his hat at the moment. He wasn't even wearing overalls—just jeans, which he rarely wore. "And I heard you the first time—oh, hello girls! Luigi had to stay late for work."

Daisy pouted.

Peach ran up and gave him a hug, which the plumber happily returned. "Hi Mario! How was you're day?" She sweetly asked.

"Busy," replied Mario. "I've been packing since I got home from work. You girls packed yet?"

"I'll pack tomorrow," Daisy replied, sipping her juice and leaning against the counter. With her current posture, it was hard to believe that she was the same level of royalty as Peach. "I'm a last-minute kind of girl, you should know that by now." She smiled, giggling.

"Same here, I still think we have some time left," Peach was still in Mario's arms as she answered. Purachina felt like vomiting—she loathed lovey-dovey stuff.

"They're gonna help me pack. That okay, Mario?" Purachina asked, slipping off her sneakers. She walked into the living room and threw her tote on the couch, not caring if it accidentally ended up on the floor or not.

"Sure. You two can stay for dinner too. We're having _penne_."

"Oh!" Purachina called. She rocketed from he living room, right behind Mario. She hung onto his shoulders as he gave a sudden "_oof!"_

"That reminds me!" She cheered, right into Mario's ear. There was no stopping this girl, honestly. "Mario, Luigi, and I are gonna have a celebratory dinner tomorrow night! The gang's coming too, save for Rosalina. She's still in space." She pouted cutely.

"Y-Yeah, we—get off me Purachina! —we were planning a dinner for Purachina. This is her first All-Cup, so me and Lou wanted to make it special."

"I'll come," Daisy smiled, crumpling her empty juice box. Those things don't last very long.

"Me too, guys." Peach cocked her head to the left. "But, what exactly is for dinner?"

"_Aisu!" _Purachina cheered, yet again.

Peach and Daisy gifted her with confused looks. "Ice?" Daisy asked for confirmation.

"She means ice cream," Mario corrected. "And no, that's for _dessert_, Purachina." The red-clad plumber poked her nose, receiving a playful scowl in response. "We're going to have some pizza, chips, stuff like that. It's more like a party than a dinner. Just take away the music and things like that."

The lime-eyed girl added: "It's taking place outside, too. We're gonna light a fire and cook marshmallows! The weather'll be perfect. Seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit, the radio said."

"Ooh~" Peach cooed, jumping up and down. "That sounds perfect! I've always wanted to roast marshmallows!"

Daisy sat on the counter; she comes to the house at least twice a week, so Mario or Luigi didn't mind whenever she did. Peach was always too proper for that kind of behaviour. "Are you going to include graham crackers and chocolate? If not, I'll bring them."

"Oh, really? Thankies, Dais!" Pura smiled. She was excited already.

"No problem. Now can I borrow a shirt or something? I really want to get out of this uniform…"

"Yeah, I have a tank you can borrow. That okay?"

"Of course. Thank you."

The two tomboys ran into the common room, then darted up the stairs, leaving the princess and the plumber alone.

Peach pecked Mario on the nose, making him blush deeply. "I'm going to go help the girls. See you, Mario."

Scratching the back of his head, Mario replied "Y-Yeah…See you, Peach."

"Here, Dais. A fresh tank, just for you." Purachina tossed the princess a folded, orange tank top. "I'd figure you would like the orange. I don't wear it often anyway."

"Thanks, Pura. You know me so well." Giggling, Daisy slipped off her shirt as Purachina did the same. She slipped on a black tank top with white, horizontal stripes, starting at the bottom and ending midway up the shirt.

"Do you need some shorts or something, too?"

Daisy waved her off, combing her fingers through her hair before gliding on the top that she was given. "No thanks, I'll be fine…Oh, Grambi, I can't believe it's spring break already…"

"Quick to change the subject, are we?" The girl joked, taking off her black plaid skirt and clothing herself with denim shorts. She slid the green bobby pins out of her black hair and placed them in an ashtray on her desk before continuing; "But yeah, me too. And to think that we get a whole month instead of a puny two-week break. It's like heaven."

"You know we're gonna have to make up the work when we get back, right, Pura?"

"Like I care," Purachina replied. "It's not like I'm going to do it…now come _on_ Daisy~! Help me pack now~!"

Daisy yelped as she was pulled by her arms into the other half of the room.

Purachina's room had two parts to it. When you open the bedroom door, a large bed to the right greets you. It was almost _always _covered in lime-green pillows and a black comforter—even in the summer, when Purachina would simply sleep on top of it. This half of the room also has a table with her laptop on it, a vanity that she almost _never_ used (except for throwing clothes over the mirror or putting random items on), and dresser with her clothes inside.

Across the bedroom door, there is an arch that leads to the other half of the room. Here, lies Purachina's television, various consoles (dating back to the old NES era), beanbag chairs, a couch, and the like. She called it her "gaming room", and she probably spent more time in that half then the half with the bed.

Purachina reached into a closet, and brought out two suitcases. "Just go through my drawer and put seven pairs of shirts in it—it doesn't matter which ones, I wear them all."

"What about the panties?" Daisy asked, taking a luggage.

"What are you, a panty thief?" Purachina laughed at her own joke. "Jokes, I'll get them myself."

"…I walked in at the words 'panty' and 'thief'," Peach said, walking in. "What on Earth are you two going on about now?"

The two giggled. "Nothing!" Purachina laughed, packing her 3DS and Gameboy inside of her case. She patted Peach's shoulder as she walked passed her to get her various manga. "We're just joking around."

Peach sat on a purple beanbag chair, taking the tie out of her hair. "About what, dare I ask?" She shook her blonde hair back into place.

Purachina ruffled the pink princess's hair, receiving a protesting groan. "Not what you're thinking about, Peachy." She grabbed a bag that was hanging off the corner of her bookshelf and handed it to Peach. "Can you do me a favour and get my games? Especially the Pokémon ones. And just hand it to me when you get them all."

"Of course, dear," Peach answered, taking the green tote bag and lifting herself off of the beanbag. "But, have you ever thought that you might be too busy to play video games this month?"

"What?" Purachina asked, stopping where she was. "What makes you say that?"

"All you're going to do is practice and race, Purachina," Daisy answered from her place in front of the dresser. She stuffed a white tee shirt inside of the suitcase as she spoke. "If you want to win, at least."

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm gonna win!"

Peach laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Purachina, honey, you're wrong. The All-Cup time of year is when everyone, and I mean _everyone_, puts their best foot forward. It is a _lot_ harder than you think. And that's a promise."

Purachina looked Peach in the eye. Peach's stare was serious and cold. There was no way she could be pulling Purachina's leg.

"You're serious," she stated, shoulders drooping. Peach nodded slowly.

"Purachina, I want you to win. Even as a rival. But just to let you know, me and Daisy _won't_ go easy on you."

Daisy let out a sound of agreement, damaging the rookie's confidence even more.

Peach took notice in that and softened her gaze. "Cheer up, Purachina," she said tenderly, patting her shoulder. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't try. And besides, you might just beat us!" She smiled.

Purachina smiled at Peach's smile (smileception?) and nodded. "You're right. I'll do my best. And I _will_ beat you, boo."

Peach giggled at her. "Of course you will. I'm packing your games and all, but don't play them more than you practice. 'Kay, hun?"

"Of course…"

"Ooh~ Purachina~" Daisy giggled in a teasing tone. She stepped under the arch, holding something behind her back, spiking Purachina's curiosity.

"What did you do now, Dais?" She groaned.

"Nothing…But I have a question~" She pulled out a hot pink brazier with a yellow smiley face on each cup. "How long have you had this?" She doubled over laughing, clutching her stomach.

Purachina's face became flushed and she jumped over, yanking the garment from her friend's hand. "Gimme that! I was gonna give it away!"

"I wonder what else you have in your panty drawer! _Shimapantsu?_" She was right.

"I told you _not_ to look in there! Daisy!" She tackled the princess, creating a loud _thump_ that was most likely heard from downstairs.

Peach shook her head at the two. _Of course,_ she thought. _Leave it to them to act this way…_

_Watashi wa ieda! (Wah-ah-shee-wah-ee-eh-da): I'm home!_

_Shimapantsu (Shee-mah-pahn-tsu): A kind of panties with white and another colour horizontal stripes. Otaku love 'em. _


	4. Chapter 4

_Oh, by the way, My Wii has been broken for a few months now, meaning that I haven't played MKWii in a while. _(⁄ ∖)_ That goes to say, if anything is wrong or if a track description doesn't match what it actually _is, _then please __**politely **__point it out in the review. I'm using my 3DS to hit up Mario Wiki as I write, and that particular site is slow at loading on it (And my neighbours move their AOSS point sometimes), so please accept my apologies for any mistakes—including the scoring following this AN. It shall be fixed later if necessary. _( ) ⊥⊥ (Crappy table flipping)

_Now, other than that, please enjoy and review! They make me really happy~! And don't worry; I'll get a new Wii soon._ (. ω .)b

The sound of the engine noise that emitted from the bike was almost deafening. Purachina revved up the engine a few more times before taking off with the coveted rocket-boost, leaving the other eleven racers in the dust.

As of now, it was two in the afternoon. It was a sunny day at Koopa Cape, where her and a few more members of the gang gathered to practice one last time before hopping on the jet the next day. Toadette, who chose to be the scorekeeper, stood by the finish line and held a clipboard in her petite pale hands. The paper attached had the following recorded, in pretty pink ink to be precise.

**The Scores Thus Far:**

Mario: 45

Purachina: 42

Luigi: 36

Waluigi: 30

Daisy: 27

Peach: 27

Wario: 24

DK: 22

Toad: 15

Koopa: 10

Bowser: 7

Yoshi: 5

She watched as all twelve racers sped off at such a fast rate, leaving her pink hair to blow in the wind caused by the vehicles. Now all she had to do was sit patiently until the third lap…

Purachina looked in her rearview mirror: Mario was right behind her. She smirked daringly as she gazed at the reflection. There was no way she was going to let him pass. If she won this track, then she'd be in first place for the whole practice run. She leaned her bike to the left as she rounded the first turn, reaching her hand out for it to pass through an item box. With a sparkling _ting_, three red mushrooms appeared in her hand.

_Huh,_ she chuckled in her mind. _Three mushrooms in first place. How rare…_

Holding the shrooms tightly in her right hand, she sped up a small ramp, doing a small trick. As soon as she landed, she sped towards a patch of grass, and threw the first mushroom on the ground in front of her wheel, making her rocket through the obstacle. She drove straight, and jumped the quarter-pipe, increasing her speed as she landed back on the cement.

With a small yelp, Purachina zoomed off the boost pad and landed in a small stream. She didn't see anyone in her rearview, so she figured it was safe to perform a wheelie for extra speed.

Unfortunately, out of nowhere, Mario bumped into the side of her bike, making her wobble and lose a great amount of speed.

"Hey! _Mario!_" She yelled, clearly pissed off. Mario, who was now ahead of her, winked and poked out his tongue as he jumped of a small ramp. _He hit my fucking blind spot!_

Purachina scowled and threw another shroom on the ground in front of her. Mario was _just_ out of reach. Then she dropped the last one, just in time to grab a stay item box, and laughed as she rocketed past the plumber, bumping him as well.

She looked in her hand and found a red shell. _Perfect,_ she though deviously. _Just wait till he gets closer behind…closer…slow down a bit, Pura…_

"Mama mia!" Mario's Dolphin Dasher flipped as he drove straight into the red shell, which appeared behind the girl at the last second.

"That'll teach you to get in front of me, plumber!" She yelled, rounding the right turn.

_Whoosh!_ She fell down at a straight ninety-degree angle, adjusting her bike so it would land on her wheels. Her lime green tank top was sprayed with mist from the waterfall that was only a foot behind her.

_Thunk!_

Purachina dashed forward, listening to she _screech_ of wheels on Plexiglass as she drifted.

This was her favourite part of Koopa Cape. The underwater section of the track was always so peaceful, so calming, despite the intensity of the situation.

She dodged the rays with extra care, not getting hit by them once. She jumped out of the tunnel with the assistance of a speed boost, and proceeded to the quarter pipe. She then zipped past and line and Toadette, waving as she did so.

Her tracking map on her dashboard beeped. Mario was still in the tunnel. "I'm that far ahead?" She laughed, covering her mouth. "Oh, my God, this is gonna be easy! Two laps to go~!"

* * *

><p>Toadette scribbled on her clipboard as the last driver passed the finish line. Written on a new page, again, in pretty pink ink, was the following:<p>

**Koopa Cape:**

Purachina

Mario

Peach

Daisy

Luigi

DK

Waluigi

Wario

Toad

Koopa

Yoshi

Bowser

Purachina jumped off her bike and ran over to Mario. She hugged him from behind, laughing the entire time.

"Mario! You did awesome!" She yelled in his ear, making him jump. "I mean, you were so close to winning! Then I got first place! But it doesn't matter that you didn't, because you still did awesome~!"

"Purachina calm down," Mario told her. "And get off of me, you're too old to be climbing all over me."

"But I'm serious, Mario!" Purachina pouted. "You did an excellent job…"

"Thanks, Purachina." Mario ruffled her black hair. "You did too. You ranked the highest for the entire tournament. I think you're ready."

"You think so?" The rookie's eyes grew wide and sparkly, and a large, hopeful smile was plastered to her face.

"Of course," Mario reassured with a smile. "You got what it takes to race in the All-Cup."

"I agree, Purachina." Luigi approached the pair, wiping the sweat beading from his forehead with his sleeve. He smiled. "But practice plays an important part. We'll be racing a lot this month."

"I understand." Purachina's shoulders drooped.

"Don't get too discouraged." The younger bro said with a comforting glint in his eye. "You'll do perfectly."

With a nod of agreement, Mario's stomach rumbled. With the other two staring at him, he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"You hungry, Mar?" Purachina smirked.

"Eh heh, yeah…let's go get some hotdogs with the others…"

* * *

><p>"Waluigi, hand me the ketchup."<p>

"Get it yourself."

"I'm too far away!"

"Not my problem."

Purachina scowled. Her and Waluigi didn't get along at _all._ Waluigi was always such a pervert to her (He had a crush on both her _and_ Daisy) and Purachina was always picking fights with him. Her reason was "He's so annoying". His was "She's too loud". You couldn't leave the two alone in the same room without some bloodshed, in most cases Waluigi's.

"Do you want me to climb all over you to get it?"

"I wouldn't mind that." Waluigi smirked. "In fact I encourage you to do so."

"Gross! Mario!"

Mario sighed, swallowing his hotdog. "Waluigi, hand her the damned ketchup," he deadpanned. He—as well as everyone else—was sick of the two fighting.

"Why should I? She can eat without it."

"Waluigi, would you like me to give Miyamoto-san a call?" Peach piped up, setting her cup of iced tea down on the table with a noticeable _thud._

Waluigi hesitated. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn't—a smart move. He grabbed the ketchup bottle and lazily threw it at Purachina, who caught it easily. She stuck her tongue at him.

"You use honorifics, Princess?" Toad asked. He was sitting to the left of her, also sipping at an iced tea. "Since when?"

"I don't really know, Toad. He's Japanese, so I thought it was appropriate."

"You should call him by '_Sensei_', Peachy," Purachina cut in, squirting a _ton_ of ketchup on her wiener. "It's more appropriate."

"What's that mean?" Luigi asked. He wasn't eating anything, he was happy just reading a book at the picnic table.

"It means like 'teacher' or someone of a higher status. I'd prefer to call him 'sama' or 'sensei', but that's just me."

"Showoff…"

"Shut up Waluigi!" She punched his shoulder. "I wasn't talking to you!"

"Oh, my Grambi guys, just stop," Daisy seethed. "In fact, I have a better idea…Waluigi, switch places with me."

"Anything for you, darling~!" You could practically see the hearts in his eyes—the poor, lovesick man.

The two stood up, and much to Purachina's (as well as everyone else's) liking, switched places. This way, no one could piss each other off anymore.

"Thanks, Dais," Purachina whispered, biting her hotdog.

"No prob, Pura," Daisy replied, taking a new can of Shroom Shake and opening it with a _hiss…_ "Just try not to piss eachother off when in front of other people. It's rude."

"But I know everyone here—"

"Doesn't matter. Drop it."

Small silence followed. Everyone was still tired from the past race, so that was kind of expected from them. Even Purachina was a little drowsy.

"_Eeeyaaagh," _Bowser stretched and yawned, rubbing his head. He held up his empty can of Koopa Kola and asked: "You guys got anymore Kola left? I'm thirsty."

"Uh-uhn," Luigi shook his head. "Besides, you don't need anymore. You drank, like, twenty of those." He lazily flipped a page of the book as a talked.

"It was only five! And that race was exhausting! I'm thirsty!"

Purachina sighed. "I was _gonna_ save mine for later, but I guess you can have it, Bowser."

Bowser fist pumped. "Awesome! Thanks, bro!"

"Mhm, you owe me though. Catch." She held the can over her head in a throwing posture. The koopa held out his big, scaly hands, and caught the can when it was thrown. He had his fingers on the top, ready to open it, but Wario stopped him.

"I wouldn't open that. Wait five minutes."

"Psh. Yeah," Purachina agreed, taking another bite of her hotdog. "Unless you wanna clean up after it. Did you expect it _not_ to blow up after I threw it across the table?"

"Purachina…Don't talk with your mouth full…" Luigi put his book down on the wooden picnic table. "I'm going for a walk…"

Purachina swallowed her food before talking—a first. "Can I come with? Please?"

"If it's okay with Mario."

"Mar, can I go with Luigi?" Purachina twisted her back to look at Mario, who shrugged.

"Don't go too far. We're leaving as soon as everyone eats."

"_Arigatou~!" _Purachina ran after the younger plumber, who was already walking. "Lou, wait up!"

* * *

><p>The waves crashed against the shore in a slow, steady motion—very hypnotic and tranquil. Catawacks roamed the sandy beaches freely, tending to their own business. Some of them were sitting or waddling on the fine, white sand, while others splashed in the water.<p>

Two figures could be seen on the beach, one a grown man and the other a smaller, naïve and wet-behind-the-ears girl.

"So, Luigi," she asked, holding her shoes as she dug her toes in the soft sand. She held on to Luigi's right arm as they walked. "You've raced in a bunch of All-Cups before, right?"

"Nine, to be exact," he interrupted.

"Exactly, so I have a question…what was it like racing your first All-Cup? Were you nervous at all?"

"What kind of question is that?" Luigi scoffed at her innocent, but silly question. "I still get nervous! In fact, everyone does."

"Bowser and Wario don't look anxious. Waluigi don't either."

"_Doesn't, _Pura. And deep down, I bet they all are. You can't tell by just looking at them."

"So, I'm guessing it's okay to be nervous…?" Purachina smiled a bit.

"Yeah, it's normal," Luigi replied. He took off his hat, combed his fingers through his dark brown hair, and replaced it back on his head. "In fact, it helps us concentrate, and the anxiousness drives us to do our best. I think you're stressing too much…"

Purachina turned to face him with an angry glare. "I am not! I'm fine!"

"Bullshit." Luigi laughed at her. "Underneath that happy, carefree mask of yours is a feeling of doubt and angst, huh?" He patted her on the head. She only went up to his shoulders, so he had no problems in doing so. "Just learn to cope with those feelings. They'll help you in the long run."

"Grr, get your hand off my head," Purachina laughed jokingly, pushing his hand away. "And thanks. I guess I needed that. Truth is, I never been around the world before…and I race for fun most of the time. Other than those minour grand prixs we do, of course, but this All-Cup is a big deal, _ne?_ It might be too much for me."

"Hey, don't say that." Luigi stopped walking, Purachina followed. "You'll do fine. And who said these races won't be fun? Just treat it as you would do otherwise; just a nice, little race for kicks. That involves traveling to different regions and space. You know, you gotta race Rain—"

"_Don't!_ Don't you _dare_ say that track's name." Purachina poked a finger at his chest. "Say that name and we will all _die._"

Luigi gulped. This girl looked serious. "Uh…fine. You have to race _that track_ too. You can't keep putting it off."

"I'll race it when the time comes."

"It doesn't work like that, Purachina.'

"Doesn't matter, I—Lou, look!" Purachina pointed out to sea. "Dolphins!"

"Luigi squinted his eyes as he looked. "I-I don't see anything."

The girl groaned and walked up to him. She twisted his head to another direction. _"There." _She said. "See them now?"

Sure enough, there they were—a pod of dolphins jumping out of the water, then submerging themselves again with a _splash._

"Whoa," Luigi gaped, speechless almost. "How many do you think there are?"

"I can't tell from here, maybe eight." She pulled out her camera and snapped several pictures of the sea mammals. "Can't wait till I put this on derp-book…"

"Of course you can't…Oh, Grambi, I can hear them squeaking from here."

Purachina shut her mouth and lowered her camera. "Oh! Me too! They sound so cute~!" She jumped in the air like a little kid.

"Heh…I haven't seen dolphins in a long time…" Luigi chuckled. He placed a hand on Purachina's shoulder to calm her down."

"Me neither. In fact, this is my first time seeing any at all…aww, they're leaving."

"Yup…Say 'goodbye', Pura."

"Shut up, you sound like I'm a baby."

The pair stayed silent for a few moments, watching the dolphins disappear into the horizon, and then sighed.

"Well, I'm happy now," Purachina giggled.

"Yeah…Let's go back to the others. They're probably packing everything up by now."

"Probably…Luigi, I have another question."

"What is it?" Luigi asked.

"_Anata wa, Daisy-chan aishiteimasu ka?"_

"P-Pardon?"

"Do you like Daisy?" she sniggered. "Like, 'like-like'?"

"_Sh-shut up!"_

* * *

><p><em>Ne?<em> (Neh?): Huh? (This pizza's good, ne?)


	5. Chapter 5

_Not too proud of this chappie. Just deal with this little filler of sorts, okay children? c: The next chapter might be a tad better~_

Purachina skipped happily down the stairs from her room, singing in her native language. _Today was kickass_, she thought as she flipped the hair out of her eyes and rounded the corner into the kitchen. Singing all the while, she approached the white refrigerator and opened it. She sighed when she found nothing to her liking.

"_Ne, _Mario?" She asked the plumber, who was sitting at the table and working on a crossword puzzle. "Can I have some money for ice cream? I'm starving~"

"What?" Mario asked, setting his pencil down from the crossword he was doing. "Everyone's coming over in five minutes! You'll be able to eat then."

"But I'm hun_gry…"_ The girl whined, shutting the door and looking at Mario with big, shining eyes. (Leave it to her to go on about something as simple as ice cream money. It was her specialty.)

"No. Be patient. Luigi should be home with pizza soon, but you will _not_ eat it before everyone arrives, understand?"

Purachina crossed her arms over her chest. "You sound like a father."

"I am, in a way."

"Does that mean Luigi is the mommy?" She giggled.

Mario sighed. "Yes," he groaned. "He is. Now go to your room and put on a tee or something. You're not wearing that tank top. You know how Waluigi is." He pulled her gently by her ear in the direction of the staircase.

"Ew." Purachina made a face of disgust. "You mean to say that he's coming too?"

"Yes. He's part of the gang too, y'know."

"But_ why?"_

Mario patted her head. "Stop complaining, Pura. It'll be fine. If he tries something, just tell me and I'll kick his ass." He smiled.

"Psh. That's a little helpful." She said nothing else and romped up the stairs, her feet making the slightest _thump, thump_ noises.

Upstairs, Purachina grabbed the suitcase that lay on the floor near her bed. She crouched down, opened it, and rummaged through the various tee shirts. _Oh, God, Daisy, you could've at least folded them…_ she mentally sighed, shaking her head. _I expected better from you—oh! This one's cute! _She pulled out a green tee with "8-bit" written down the left side in black, shimmery, and pixilated letters. "I forgot I had this!" She facepalmed and slipped it over her silver tank. She head was a bit too big for her, so the straps were exposed. Purachina didn't care much—she never does care about trivial things like that.

When she clothed herself, she made a face of disappointment. "It's too big," she murmured to herself. The hem of the textile traveled halfway down her thighs, barely covering her short shorts. She had gripped her hands on the hem and prepared to take it off, but she was interrupted.

"Purachina!' Luigi yelled from downstairs. "Help me with the pizza!"

Purachina sighed and dropped her hands. "Coming Lou~!" _The shirt could stay on…Doesn't matter…_

Downstairs, Purachina had to hold back a laugh when she saw the younger Mario bro struggling to carry five pizza boxes. _What a puss._

"Purachina!" Luigi yelled, struggling to carry the boxes. "Take these! Please!"

"Lou, why are you complaining?" She asked nonchalantly as she grabbed the pizza boxes. "It's just five little piz—_holy shit!" _She nearly dropped the boxes.

"I know! They're hot! Go put 'em on the table before you burn your fingerprints off!"

"Okay! _Okayokayokayokay!" _The poor girl sprinted to the kitchen and slammed the boxes on the table. Her hands were cherry red and _searing_ hot. She went to the faucet to turn on the cold water, but that made it sting worse. "Luigi! Go get me some calamine lotion or something," she demanded.

"Hey, I need it too!" Luigi whined.

"Then go get it!"

Mario laughed as Luigi scampered down the hall to the bathroom. "You guys are hopeless…"

"Hey, it's not my fault Podoboo Pizza is trying to kill us!" Purachina shot back, rubbing her abused hands. "We should sue them."

"Sue them for what? For you being so weak?"

A vein twitched in Purachina's forehead. "Yeah, you think it's funny now, but we'll see who's laughing next time you—"

"Purachina, catch!" Luigi threw the bottle of lotion at her. Purachina caught it, but it felt like her hands were hit by an iron mace.

"_Itai!"_

Mario was ROFL'ing by now.

"Shut up, Mario!" She managed to open the bottle and squirt Mario in the chest. "That's what you get, laughing at a girl in pain!"

"Shut up and use it, Purachina," Luigi scolded. "It's not Mario's fault you're clumsy."

"But—!"

"Yeah, Pura, use it!" Lotion squirted on Mario's nose. "Hey! Stop it!"

"_Stop it," _Purachina mimicked. _"Stop it, Purachina, you're so weak, eeeeeeeehhh~" _

"Dammit, give me the bottle." Luigi yanked the lotion out of her hands roughly, making both of them squeal.

"Okay, my hands feel better now," Purachina sighed. She moved an oscillating fan into the kitchen a few minutes prior (a job she preformed by herself) to cool the pizzas and rubbed the peeling skin off of her palms. "I can't believe a pizza box could be that hot without setting on fire." She hesitated and glared at the offending boxes. "…Or without setting the table ablaze."

"I know, I haven't felt that much pain over something so little in years," Luigi agreed. He sat next to her, staring at the pizza. "I hope those chefs get burned like we did."

Purachina concurred entirely. "They better…I'm gonna go outside and try to help Mario with the tables and junk. If anyone comes just send them to the back, 'kay?"

"Sure thing."

Purachina opened the door to the garage (which was surprisingly scarce—the only thing present was a pool table and supplies that _should_ be in the shed) and strolled outside. The weather was perfect: the air was a little humid, but it was the perfect amount of moisture. Evening birds sang into the clear sky, which was dark blue in colour—not entirely black yet. The soft, green grass tickled Purachina's bare feet. Mario was setting up the third and last round table on the deck.

Purachina sauntered up the deck, her feet _pitter-patter_ing on the wood. "Need help?" she asked, her black hair blowing in the slight spring breeze.

"No," Mario replied, inserting a parasol in the hole in the middle of the table. "I got this. Wait…where did you come from anyway?"

"The garage."

"Why didn't you use the sliding doors?" Mario asked, finishing with that particular table. "You were just in the kitchen."

"I thought you were in the garage," Purachina shrugged.

"Oh…I told you I was—never mind. Did anyone come yet?"

"Uh-uhn." The girl swatted the hair out of her face. "They know to come back here. And besides, I told Luigi to send them back if they didn't already. When are you going to set up the campfire?"

"As soon as everyone gets here. Why?"

Purachina smiled, attempting to perform the Awesome Face. "'Cause I wanna light it…"

Mario watched as the girl rock on her heels. "Do you know how to?" He asked, unfolding a chair in front of the table and sitting in it. He rested his head in his hand. "Because you already burnt yourself once tonight."

Purachina glowered at him. "No, I don't know how. But it seems simple. I think I can do it."

"You're not going to try, Pura. Not tonight."

"Come _on~_" She whined, stomping her foot childishly. "There's a first for everything."

"No," Mario scolded. "Now sit down until everyone gets here."

"Mm." Purachina grunted as she took a seat next to the plumber.

An hour passed, and soon enough, most of the gang has arrived at the Mario household—save for few. Everyone was talking, laughing, eating, very few were drinking, playing, and anything else you could think of under the starry spring sky. The fire crackled softly, the orange glow illuminating the figures of the partygoers, and the warmth of it making them very comfortable.

Purachina kneeled on the grass, holding a stick in her hands. A marshmallow was pierced with the other end, and the poor treat was currently being toasted to gooey perfection.

Wario walked up to the girl, holding a bag behind his back. "Hey, Purachina," he said a tad timidly. "Since this is your first All-Cup and all, I thought it would be nice to give you present. For good luck."

"Oh~?" Purachina cooed, smirking and twirling the stick around in her hands. "Wario wants to give me a gift? Maybe 2012 is true after all…"

The mustachioed man grimaced. "You know, I can just throw this in that fire right now—"

"Relax, Wario, I was only playing." Purachina blew on the fluffy sweet and shoved it in her mouth. "What is it?" She asked, her mouth full.

Wario held out the bag and set it in the girl's delicate tanned hands (still a little sore. Some skin was peeled off, as well). "Just somethin', I got it when I worked at Fazoli's. It doesn't fit me anymore, but it still might be to big for you."

Purachina peeked inside and saw gray cloth, poorly covered by tissue paper. She pulled it out, and in her hands was a tee shirt— a few sizes bigger than hers— with the words "powered by garlic" written in white. "Aww, you're giving this to me?" She asked, smiling. She folded the shirt up and placed it back in the bag. "That's nice of you."

Wario blushed, and pointed at her. "Yeah, well, don't expect anything else from me. That's as nice as I'm gonna get."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Hostile little Wario." She returned to her previous activity, pulling another marshmallow out of a plastic bag and stabbing it with the stick. "Want some s'mores?"

"Nah, I'll pass." And with that, Wario walked away, returning to his talk with Waluigi.

After about fifteen minutes of stuffing her face, Purachina felt a light poke on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Luigi, a red plastic cup in his free hand.

"Hey, Pura, everyone wants to do a toast for you."

Purachina blushed. "Oh, they don't have to," she smiled. "But sure, why the hell not."

The two walked to the deck, and Luigi poured a cup of Koopa Kola.

Mario raised his cup, full of Bubweiser beer, and proudly declared. "To Purachina and her first All-Cup. I remember when she first got her bike assigned to her, and I just want to say that I'm proud of my little platinum."

Purachina blushed at his pet name for her, but raised her cup. _"Kampai!" _she yelled. The gang followed; although half of them actually knew what it meant from hearing Purachina speak her second language frequently.

She sipped at her glass and walked to Mario. "Thanks, Marmar. You're awesome for that." She smiled at him and removed his hat, placing it on her head.

The plumber grinned back at her. "Just wishing you good luck. I know this race is a big deal for you—as it is for all of us—and I just want to make it worthwhile. And give me my hat back." He reached for his hat, but Purachina ran away giggling, spilling some of her soda on the ground.

"At least stop running around the fire!"

"_Bubweiser" is purposely spelt like that: a bub is a fish-like species in Super Mario 64, and I wanted to use that to make a play of words so that it would feel more "Mariolistic". So no, it is not a typo. _(· ω )

_Itai!_ (ee-tie): Ouch!

_Kampai!_ (Kahm- pie): Cheers!


	6. Chapter 6

_Guys, I might have to redo some stuff later on... Like, revising and stuff on the things from eariler in the story. Also... __THIS CHAPTER TOOK ALL SUMMER TO WRITE. WHY? BECAUSE I HATE WRITERS' BLOCK. (/ n\) I'm really reallyreallyreally sorry it took so long. I have to redo CC and I'm working on some original one-shots and chapter story and it's just too much. I know I should know better but I just don't. You can be mad at me if you want. I know how you feel. (Q n Q)_

* * *

><p>Purachina groaned as her DS alarm sounded off right in her ears. She squirmed a bit, making her shirt slide up over her belly, and turned off her silver DS Lite, not even bothering to open it. She stared at the ceiling for a few moments, then out the window. Stars still peppered the sky. The bros told her she had to wake up at five-thirty the next morning. Five-freakin'-thirty! The sky was still black, for fuck's sake!<p>

Yawning, Purachina sat up, using her arms for support, sat there for a good sixty seconds, then summoned enough strength to slip her yellow PJ pants over her shorts; she didn't even bother to change out of her clothes from the previous night, except throwing off her tee-shirt and packing it in the suitcase again.

Arching her back and yawning again (she's been told that she makes baby dinosaur noses when she does so) she walked to the bathroom adjacent to her bedroom. She brushed her teeth, then her hair— normal morning crap.

_I'll take a shower at the hotel_.

Today was the last time she'd be in this house for thirty days at least. The thing that was on her mind the most was "Oh, my God, I better not leave anything here, if I do I'll never forgive myself". It was true; Purachina was always hard on herself if she forgot something important (i.e.—some of her favourite video games). Other than that, however, she was excided. So excided, she felt as if she could jump from building to building in some hardcore parkour. She wasn't going to try it, though.

Still running the brush though her ebony hair, she walked down the hall and stood atop the stairs, sighing quietly. The light in the kitchen illuminated the otherwise dark living room. She sniffed the air, and she could smell some eggs and cheese being cooked—Luigi's favourite breakfast. He's such a morning person…

"_Ohayou_ Lou~" Purachina whispered, walking down the stairs. "What time do we have to leave today?"

"Morning, Pura," Luigi replied, flipping over his omelet. His hat was sitting on one of the chairs near the table. "We have to leave by eight. I'll call a taxi, then we can get to Peach's to ride in her jet—don't brush your hair in the kitchen, Purachina."

Pouting, Purachina placed her brush near Luigi's hat.

"Thank you. I got some waffles in the toaster for you."

"Ooh~" the naïve girl smiled. "What kind?"

"Strawberry. What else?"

Now, if there's one thing Purachina loves besides pizza and cheese, it's anything with strawberries. Strawberry milkshakes, smoothies, waffles, ice cream, candy, _everything_. "Eee! Thank you, Luigi!" She sprinted to the toaster and loomed over it. The sent was simply orgasmic (What? Who writes this stuff?) and the heat felt so good, so cozy…she felt very tired again. She closed her eyes, letting the radiating heat warm her face, almost drifting into another sleep—

_Ting!_

Purachina jumped back a few inches in shock. She yelped, heart racing. At least it was just a scare. Any closer and she would have burned her face off.

"Waffles are ready," Luigi told her as if nothing happened. Of course, he was smiling to himself at how stupid the girl could be sometimes.

"You don't say…" she scowled. She grabbed a paper towel and placed the waffles on it, spreading them with butter. Never syrup, just butter. "Is Mario still asleep?"

"I woke him up a few minutes ago. He's getting dressed and doing some last minute packing." Luigi flipped the pan over a plate and let the omelet land on it. "At least he better be…You got everything packed?"

"_Noo~_ I didn't even start yet." Purachina giggled softly as she spoke.

"Watch your tone."

"You made me almost have a heart attack~"

"It was the toaster. And ahat does that have to do with any—?" Luigi stopped himself and shook his head before he started yet _another_ childish argument with the girl.

Purachina smirked, leaned against the kitchen counter, and stuffed her waffle in her mouth. _Pura: 1; Lou-san, 0_… she thought happily.

Mario walked down the stairs a few moments soon after. "Morning Purachina," he said simply. He looked ready and raring to go— he was already dressed, his hat was fixed _perfectly,_ and he had a bright and chipper look on his mustachioed face, rather rare to see on him due to the fact that he was not a morning person.

"Who are you and what have you don't with our Mario?" Purachina stuffed the rest of the waffle in her mouth and talked with her mouth full. "You're never this happy at five-thirty in the morning."

"Hush, you." Mario situated a black suitcase on the couch as he spoke. "I'm just excided that this time of year has finally come~!" He ruffled Purachina's inky black hair. "I bet I'm gonna beat you, Pura."

"The girl laughed along with him. "No way, I'll beat you."

"Says the rookie."

"Shut up."

"You know," Luigi started, eating his omelet. "Purachina won't be a rook anymore if she wins the entire All-Cup."

Purachina blushed. "I know…" She giggled and hid her face childishly in her hands. "That's why I'm nervous. I don't wanna be a noob anymore but I might ruin it."

The plumber hugged her. "You won't ruin anything. Stop fretting, Pu-pu." He let go of her and patted her almost-bare back. "Now go put on a tee and get your stuff. No tanks."

"Stop calling me that. And can I wear the garlic shirt Wario-face gave me?"

"They're your clothes. I'm not the decision maker."

Purachina nodded and smiled, then padded upstairs to her room again.

Mario sighed and stretched. "We got a few hours, Lou," he stated. "We got time to relax before we leave."

"I know, but at least eat a good breakfast. We'll be in the jet for a good four hours before we get to the hotel at Mushroom Gorge." He cut off another piece of the egg and ate it.

Mario sighed and opened a cabinet above the sink. He poured some cereal in a bowl and stayed quiet, until he realized something.

"Hey, Weeg. Why did the change the order?"

"Order of what?"

"The tracks' order. Shouldn't they keep the tracks in the same sequence they were before?"

Luigi though about it for a few minutes, then simply shrugged it off as no big deal. "Come to think of it, Mushroom Gorge is the closest to the majority of us. Moo Moo Meadows is the second closest, and that is the second track that we race. The same applies to Maple Treeway—that's the third farthest, and the third race. Finding a pattern, bro?"

"Eh, I guess that makes sense. The Racing Bureau though it was a good idea, and I guess it is, too."

"Exactly. I think so too. For the better."

Mario nodded and ate his cereal, and then he realized something else. "Did Purachina call Wario 'Wario-face'?"

"Don't question the girl, she's weird."

Purachina looked in the mirror of her neglected vanity and slipped in her silver lip ring. She sang to herself quietly, carrying on without a single care in the world. The entire day was planned out: first, they'd leave to Peach's to get on her jet. Then, after a four-hour plane ride, drop of their things at the vintage country-styled hotel Lakitu booked them for, do some sight-seeing then they'd do some training at Mushroom Gorge for the first round of the All-Cup the next day. It was going to very busy, of course, but Purachina didn't know if she could do that for a whole month. Seems a bit difficult for someone who loves to _not walk everywhere_. But she could handle it.

Purachina's cell phone rang and vibrated on her bed. Checking to make sure her lip rings was securely in, she sprinted over to the bed and plopped down on the covers, answering her phone. "'Sup."

"_Morning~!"_ Peach's voice sang on the other side. _"Everyone's here. Well, almost. Wario and Waluigi still aren't here."_

"They're probably sleeping, still," Purachina giggled.

"_We all thought that. Daisy's walking over to their place to wake them up if they are."_

"Knowing Daisy she'll probably hit Waluigi with a frying pan and pour water on Wario."

Peach laughed musically. _"Oh my goodness, that would be the best thing in the world. Oh, and guess who's here?"_

"I 'unno," the tomboy mumbled, playing with her comforter. "Who's there?"

_"Her name begins with R and ends in A~"_

Purachina gasped loudly. "_No way!_ Rosalina is there?"

_"Yes! And she wants to see you, Pura!"_

"It's been forever since I saw her last! Tell her I said hi and I love her and _not to leave_!"

_"She's not going anywhere, don't worry!"_ The princess giggled at her friend's antics. _"Just tell the bros to hurry up, okay? It would be nice if the girls could talk and be together before we leave."_

"You got it! Tell her I said hi again! Bye!"


	7. Chapter 7

_By the way, you know how in some games, there are dolphins with cute little goggles on their faces? Yeah, I mean those. Not a lot of IRL shit here, my friend._

* * *

><p>"Purachina, calm down," Luigi urged the girl as he drove down the dirt path that led to Princess Peach's castle. "You're shaking the whole damn car."<p>

Indeed, Purachina was shaking the old pickup with her constant leg movements— almost like she had to go to the restroom. "I'm sorry, Lou, but I can't help _it_!" she whined. "Rosalina's gonna be there~!"

"You've seen her plenty of times before," Mario cut in.

"So? It's been at _least_ four months. She hasn't even practiced with us for that long. Do you think she still knows how to drive her bike?"

"She probably has had plenty of time to practice were she lives, Pura."

Purachina lessened her leg trembling (but still continued) and slumped down in the cramped backseat. "You're right. She's hard to beat." She murmured as she slipped in her earphones. "She's a full-blown expert…"

The next few minutes passed in silence, save for the faint music coming from Purachina's music player. As soon as the Princess' castle started to come into view, Mario turned around and tapped the girl's knee.

"Purachina, are you awake? We're here," he grinned.

The girl opened her eyes and pulled out her earphones, flinging herself to the window. The first thing she laid eyes on happened to be the Baby blue-coloured dress that belonged to the galactic princess with a Luma on her head, Rosalina.

"_Squee~!_" Purachina shrieked overdramatically. Not already wearing a seatbelt, she opened the car and ran towards the galactic princess, who was standing on the bridge talking to the other girls.

"_Rosalina!_ I missed you so much, I think I'm gonna cry!" The ebony-haired girl giggled out of pure joy, glomping the life out of Rosalina. Said princess hugged her back and Luma did the same, squealing with delight.

"I missed you too, Purachina," she said, her voice as beautiful as ever. "It's been so long, you cut your hair and everything." She ran her fingers through her smooth, black hair.

Purachina let out a playfully overemotional gasp. _"You noticed~!" _

"Of course I noticed," Laughed the princess. "How could I not? It used to be down to your rear."

"Remember how it would get caught in everything?" Peach butted in, giggling.

Purachina nudged her roughly, but not enough to hurt her. "Hush now, this is our good moment."

"When did you get here, Purachina?" Daisy shouted out of nowhere, purposely scaring Purachina (and making her fall forwards). She laughed and helped her up.

"Where the hell have you been?" the green-eyed girl asked, brushing herself off. "Did you wake up Wario and Mr. McPervy?"

"Yeah, but Waluigi hit me, so I yanked off the blankets and poured some ice from his freezer on him." _And enjoyed it,_ she added under her breath.

"He _hit_ you?" The quiet Toadette asked, shocked (Purachina failed to see her before, she's so small and silent). "He can't hit girls! That's just too mean—!"

"Relax Toadette. He was half-asleep and he apologized."

"Where'd he hit you?"

"Just in the arm. It's all good."

Purachina crossed her arms and huffed. "That's just like him, that little _hentai_…I'm gonna kick his ass—"

"_Hey_," Daisy emphasized. "Relax, he didn't mean it."

Rosalina placed a gentle hand on Purachina's head. "I see you and him are still not getting along…"

"Nope. And we never will. I'm gonna cream him in the tournament and then I'll rub it in his pointy face." _Heh heh… cream…_

The galactic princess sighed. "That's just _like_ you, Purachina. Just don't get too cocky or anything. It's bad for you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know… _urusai_…"

Princess Peach rolled her eyes and thunked the girl in the head softly. "I really think we should get going, everyone. Toadsworth probably has the jet ready." She smiled then started walking towards her bright pink aircraft. "Get your stuff."

As the other girls started cheering and grabbing their things (and the guys following suit), Purachina giddily skipped to the truck and grabbed her suitcases and tote bag. "I call window seat!" Her sneakers became coated in dirt as she ran back to the jet, inside and plopped down in a window seat near the back. The air conditioning felt amazing on her face, especially since it was so hot outside.

_Thank _Kami-sama _for this…_ she thought, sighing to herself. For the entire month she will have to deal with _nothing_; no stupid, annoying teachers, no stupid, annoying jocks, and no stupid, annoying _home_. She was a free eagle, flying in the wind.

* * *

><p>"Sweet, <em>sweet<em> land!" The girl yelled as she ran out of the aircraft, running ten feet then falling flat on her stomach as she reveled in the feeling of the earth below her feet. She might have been calm the first five minutes of flight, but after she happened to look out the window, it hit her how high they really were and she broke into tears, hyperventilating and screaming at whoever touched her. Which is exactly why in all the time she has been with the team, she has only rode in the jet once.

Luigi, who was having trouble carrying the luggage (Purachina ran straight out, not bothering to carry her things and leaving poor Luigi to hold for two) sighed from the episode inside the jet. No matter what he did for her, it only seemed to make it worse, and to top it all off, as soon as she ran out of the jet it was like nothing ever happened, bouncing straight back to hyper-go-happy, Purachina Shiawase. But as he kept thinking, he came to a conclusion that it was better to have her act like nothing happened then to have her crying the entire trip.

Climbing off the jet, Luigi dropped the load into the perfectly green grass and exhaled deeply—he wasn't the strongest of the two bros. But as soon as he felt his back was back in shape after carrying a million pounds of luggage, he stood up straight and gazed around, enjoying the relaxing view of Moo Moo Meadows, with its quiet farms, blue skies and friendly cows and bulls. The gang was given permission to land in a bare field, so they were in the middle of it all, not a busy highway in sight.

"You're in the way, Weeg."

"Oof!"

His peaceful moment was interrupted by Bowser pushing him out of the way, making him fall flat on his face. He stayed there for a moment, thinking, "I kinda deserved it" until he felt a shadow loom over him. He looked up and indeed, there was Purachina smiling at him from above.

"Hee, hee," she giggled childishly. "You got pushed."

Sighing, Luigi held out a gloved hand in her direction. "Whatever, just help me up."

"'Kay." Purachina grabbed his hand and pulled him up, almost making her fall on her butt in the process, but Luigi held onto her to keep it from happening.

"Thanks," she muttered, then she stood up straight and smiled once again. "We're here, Lou. We're actually here. The first race is tomorrow, y'know?"

"Yeah," he agreed, dusting himself off. "Sure is. Are you anxious?"

"Duh. We went over this. But I'm excided." She sat down on the soft, emerald green grass, running her fingers through it and watching as her nails matched the colour of the vegetation.

Luigi motioned the rest of the group to go ahead and check in to the hotel they were going to stay, then sat down with the girl. "What's the point of keeping you from falling if you're just going to sit down and get your shorts dirty anyway?"

"I'unno. Just for the hell of it." Purachina giggled. She scooted closer to Luigi and pulled his hat off, placing it on her head, much to his annoyance. "Luigi, remember those dolphins we saw?"

"Yeah. What about them?"

A small silence followed. "Nothing." Secretly, she wanted to ask if racing in the All-Cup was the equivalent to being as free as a dolphin in the sea, feeling no limitations and just going by instinct. But that would sound too corny, and she has a reputation to keep, so she refrained. "…Nothing at all."

The young plumber let out a sound of agreement before sighing and asking, "You think we should head to the hotel?"

"…Why not."

They both stood up, Purachina brushing her rear off casually, and walked to the hotel.

* * *

><p>"Wow, this place is so…pretty." Princess Peach sounded in awe as she walked into the suite. It was a country-style hotel, with a very homey feeling to it. It was built with stone walls, hardwood floors, and according to the princesses, it had the "absolute cutest little fireplace ever" in the lobby. Earlier, as the five girls walked down the halls to their suite (they chose to be separated from the boys), little toad maids wearing pale-coloured dresses and aprons passed them, and animated Purachina had to hold a hand on her mouth to keep her from squealing how "kawaii" they were. However, it was evident that she was having a hard time doing so from her dimples and crinkled skin around her eyes.<p>

"Ah, it sure is," Rosalina agreed with Peach. She lay down on one of the two beds in the room—with Luma sitting on her stomach and cooing happily— not bothering to get under the covers. Right now, she just wanted to relax. "It's been so long since I traveled to a place like this. I wish I could do this more often."

Quiet Toadette nodded and did the same as Rosalina on the other bed. "And it's so nice to be away from those boys for a while, even if it is just a few hours."

Purachina plopped down next to the galactic princess and pulled her Gameboy out of her tote. "Since there's only two beds, who's gonna share with who?" she asked over the metallic _ping_ of her game. "I think I should share with Rosalina and Luma, just 'cause." Cue that cheesy smile she does best.

Peach sighed wearily; she almost never gets a word in things like this, and there's no changing the girl's mind. "I guess that's fine. The bed is big enough for Daisy and Toadette to share with me. So long as long as they agree."

"I'm okay with it, as long as I don't sleep on the floor," said Daisy. Toadette nodded, showing that she agreed as well.

Purachina smiled again, not taking her eyes off of the little screen in front of her. "Alright, it's agreed. Me and my _waifu_ and Luma sleep here, and— dang it, Luma, you're gonna make me lose!"

"No! I wanna stay here!" Luma giggled happily as he was able to slip into the small space between the Gameboy and Purachina's face, blocking her view. "It's comfy!"

Rosalina giggled. "I guess it's fine. And I'm not your _waifu_— what ever that is."

"Yes you are~ Now what do we do for the rest of the day? Relax?"

"Guess so." Daisy stretched and situated herself under the covers. "I'm taking a nap. 'Night."

"It's still day time."

"Shut up."

* * *

><p>In the boys' suite…<p>

"Damnit, DK, stop jumping on the bed." Luigi ordered over the commotion everyone was making. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration—staying in such a small space with so many people was not going to be good… "Wario, Waluigi, stop making so much noise. You're in a hotel, for Grambi's sake."

"Shut up, Greenie, we're having a nice convo here!"

"All you're doing is talking about girls! How is that a nice conversation—? Donkey Kong, I _said_ stop jumping on the bed!"

* * *

><p>Waifu- (<em>why-foo<em>) a Japanese pronunciation of wife.

Kawaii- (_Kah-wah-ee_) Cute

Urusai- (_oo-roo-sye_)- Commonly translated as "shut up"


	8. Chapter 8

_Hi! Welcome to chapter eight! (^ - ^)/ There's kinda been a reason why I haven't been uploading lately. Some of you know I have really bad anxiety (I _guess_ on the verge of paranoia), and it's been keeping me from writing because I just get so nervous. Q n Q I'm really sorry and I'm trying my best to cope with it. Forgive me, __please__._

_In other words, who's excited for Pokemon X and Y? I know I am~_

The following morning, Purachina awoke, yet no sun shone trough the curtains and onto her face like she was expecting. In fact, it was still very dark, save for a little blue tint in the early morning sky. She groaned quietly and stretched herself awake. She looked around the room to find the others still snoring quietly in their beds, looking at peace.

Purachina did _not_ want to wake up.

The night prior, the girl had a terrible time trying to sleep. She kept tossing and turning, keeping Rosalina awake as well. When the princess next to her was finally able to sleep, Purachina was still awake, however. When she was covered with the sheets, she was too hot. When she didn't have any, she was too cold. Even with one leg sticking out from under the covers, her body couldn't find a good temperature and stick with it. It pissed Purachina off so much she inadvertently groaned out loud, causing the others to stir, but thankfully not awake.

She opened her DS that lay on the table next to the bed. It was around six — two hours before the alarm was supposed to go off.

"Goddammit," she whispered to herself, brushing her messy hair out of her face as she sluggishly got out of the bed. "There's no point in trying to go back to sleep... maybe I should just get breakfast downstairs in the lobby...?" She turned around, looking at the peacefully sleeping faces of her friends.

She giggled quietly. "I can get all the good food before it's gone~"

So Purachina trudged to the bathroom, slipped in her silver lip ring that lay on the counter next to the sink, and did a quick once-over with her hair before putting on a tee shirt over her tank top and slipping out.

The hotel was still deathly quiet, not a sound in the hall except for the soft thumps of the girl's feet against the plush carpet (and Bowser's snoring—it's a wonder he wasn't choking to death nor causing any noise complaints). She got off of the elevator and when she neared the lobby, the refreshingly sweet scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted into the hallway and in her nose, giving her little goosebumps on her arms.

Toad maids were still setting up the breakfast food for the guests to eat on the tables. Purachina had to keep herself from drooling, it looked so delicious. Pancakes, French toast, waffles, bacon, sausage... the list goes on.

She worked her way around the maids, getting _at least _three of everything (an act that has "Purachina" written all over it) and a cup of coffee, then sitting down at the couch and setting her cup and overflowing plate on the coffee table. The TV above the crackling fireplace was showing the news, and the story the anchorwoman was talking about now was, in fact, the All-Cup Opening Festival that was to happen before the race. Purachina took a bite of a sausage link as she leaned back and watched the story.

"_...It is a wonderful way to start spring break, and it is happening today. The opening ceremonies for the Mario Kart All-Cup Grand Prix is to begin at nine o'clock this morning."_

"Dammit, it's a festival, not a ceremony, bitch," The girl swore under her breath; Mario always stressed that this was not the latter, and he always said it was important not to call it that. Festivals were big outdoor parties, like this one, and ceremonies were "organized and boring" as he put it.

"_The event is to last until noon, and the race is to start at 1:30 at Moo Moo Meadows, which is a short walk away. This year is going to be big, because a new racer by the name of Purachina Shiawa-say-"_

"Dammit!"

"_-will be making her début this year. This family-friendly event will have food, games, music, and autograph signing from each of the racers. _

The camera cut to a Ninji talking while his kid played in the background. _"I've been following the races ever since '92. I just know that this year's gonna be a good one, just like always."_

Back to the anchorwoman, _"Admission to the festival is free, but tickets for the race cost sixty coins for adults, kids under twelve are forty. Back to you Tom. See you there."_

"_It certainly will be an exciting event, Teresa. In other news, a family of four saved from a fire..."_

"I see you already got breakfast, Purachina." Said girl looked beside her and smiled at Luigi, who leaned against the back of the couch.

"_Ohayou_, Lou," she said, offering her half-eaten sausage link. She ate it after he refused and asked, "Didja see the part where she talked about the race?"

"I got it all from 'Shiawa-say'." Luigi chuckled. "Why are you up so early? You have two hours left to sleep."

"I had a terrible night. I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep. I should be asking you, though."

"Same reason," the plumber shrugged. "I'm a nervous wreck."

"You think _you_ are? This is my first race, and you've been dealing with this for twenty years! I'm scared shitless!" The green-eyed girl covered her mouth as she laughed, and inconspicuously wiped the bits of sausage on the couch, hoping Luigi wouldn't notice and scold her.

"So? I's still really unnerving. We're going to be watched by hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of people around the world. If I slip up then I'm done."

"..." Purachina ate a forkful of pancakes and muttered a simple "yeah. I know."

Luigi sighed, ruffling her hair. "I'm sorry, Pura. I shouldn't have said that. It won't be _over _over, just... embarrassing. I'm sure you'll do fine."

She swallowed her pancake and took a sip of coffee. "It's still scary. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of the whole world. Mm, their java's really good. You should get a cup."

Luigi walked around the couch to sit next to Purachina, stealing a piece of bacon from her plate. "I might later on. You really should get ready for later on."

"I will. Sit with me?"

Luigi grinned. "Sure."

At 8:15, everyone was up and bustling. Some, like Purachina and Luigi, were all ready to go, but the rest of the team was in a full-blown panic. Peach had to put on her makeup, Wario kept eating, Bowser and Waluigi wouldn't get out of bed, Toadette was in tears while Toad was trying to comfort her, and to be honest, Yoshi wouldn't shut up. The dino was completely too hyped up.

The five that were ready, Mario, Luigi, Purachina, Rosalina, and Daisy, sat on the couches in the hotel's lobby. The TV wasn't on for some odd reason, so the group just sat quietly. The only thing that broke the silence was the black haired girl's Gameboy, playing Pokémon. She swore in Rosalina's ear a few times, since her head was resting on the elder's shoulder, and was followed by a sheepish apology a few seconds after.

"Are you really going to bring that with you, Pura?" Daisy asked, referring to the video game. "You'll be too busy signing autographs."

"I wonder who'll get the most this year," Rosalina giggled while stroking Luma's back. "Did you know. Purachina? Every year we have this little contest, and whoever signed the most gets their dinner paid by the person who has the least."

"I know I'm going to win," Peach smiled, sitting on the couch next to Mario. "I am a princess, after all."

"Yeah, so are Daisy and Rosalina. Did this bastard really just use a full restore?" Purachina whined. "This game is haaaaaard~"

Mario sighed, standing up as soon as the other members of the group came down the hall and motioning for the others to do as well. "Well, put it up now. You saved before the gym leader, right?"

"Fiiiine~! I'll do it later."

"Excuse me miss, can I have your autograph?" A young koopa asked the rookie. She seemed a little scared and held her mother's hand, but seemed happy to have gathered the courage to ask her.

"Sure thing!" Purachina smiled. She got a piece of paper and green marker ready. "And can I ask what your name is?"

"Uh... Kimmy."

The marker squeaked softly as she wrote, in both Japanese (out of habit, it was completely accidental) then in English. She added a small heart with a lightning bolt inside—her emblem.

"There you go!" She happily handed it over, and received the five coins from the mother.

The koopa smiled happily and hugged the paper. "Thank you!" she chimed. "I'll root for you, I promise!"

The mother thanked Purachina as well, and walked away.

Purachina groaned. Two hours passed and she only signed eleven autographs. Peach and Mario were both popular—they both had very long lines. They've had to have given away at least a hundred each. _I don't wanna spend my money on anyone other than me,_ she thought. _What if Waluigi wins and I have to buy him dinner? Oh God, why..._

And so she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

An hour passed, and only two other people came. That makes thirteen in total.

What a fucking bust. Of the hundreds of people that were there, she autographed less than fifteen papers. She was famous now, dammit!

She better get her wallet ready...

"So what's your score, Purachina?" Toad asked happily. "I signed a hundred and twelve."

The rookie groaned. "It's terrible. I only got fifteen..."

"That's not that bad for a beginner like you!" The little Toad smiled. "Just think, next year, you might be in the hundreds! People will know about you!"

The group started to walk back to the hotel. It wasn't that far of a walk, really, only about fifteen minutes.

"I guess, we all have our rough starts, but, I dunno..."

Next, the bunch had to pick up their gear from their suites, whether it be racing outfits, keys, et cetera, and hurry to the nearby garage. Near the track The garage wasn't like the usual that you'd find at places like Mario Circuit or Waluigi Stadium. It was rather small, worn and neglected. This is the middle of the freakin' _country_ after all. But it got the job done.

Purachina pulled her hair into a messy pony tail and pulled out her lip ring.

This is it. No turning back. Everyone had a more serious demeanour as of now; no more giggles, no more jokes. The first race of the All-Cup starts in five minutes. She was ready, but she felt really strange. Her palms were sweaty, legs were wobbly, and her heart felt... all over the place, really. To say she was scared would be an understatement. To say she was _petrified_ would even be an understatement. She thought of what Luigi said: you mess up once, and it's all over. She started in the mirror for a moment, shoulders hunched and head low.

She felt queasy.

Rosalina noticed her friend's unreservedness and walked over to her, Luma floating around her. She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, making Purachina jump.

"You look sad," she said.

"I'm not sad, Rosalina. I just... I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry about it." The galactic princess smiled at the younger girl and removed some silky black hair from her face. "We all have a first time. I was just like you when I first started to race two years ago. I was scared that I mess it up, that my career would end so quickly. To tell you the truth, I did mess up on Waluigi Stadium."

"What happened?" Purachina asked, voice deathly quiet.

Rosalina frowned. "I didn't land a jump right and got the wind knocked out of me. At the time, that was the first race, and I was extremely disappointed with myself. I was extremely embarrassed. I was scared to show my face in public."

Purachina gazed at her new yellow and black sneakers. "So... you really wanna win this race, _ne_?"

"More than anything. But don't try and lose on purpose so I can win. It's a dog-eat-dog-eat-cat-eat-mouse world when it comes to the All-Cup, okay? Every man for their self, survival of the fittest-"

"It's okay, Rosalina, I get it." The green-eyed girl smiled and giggled softly. "I'll do my best, okay?"


End file.
